Create Your Summer Time Bucket List!
Summer Time
WOO-HOO!! Â Three whole months of summer ahead of you! Â Whose excited to try some new & cool stuff this season??
Well, if you are anything like me, I have TONS of fun ideas pinned to my Pinterest boards, a huge lists of local things we want to check out, and only a few things “planned” for summer so far. Â This year, we opted to not schedule camps and really spend our free time exploring our area. Â So now that summer is upon us and I have all these wonderful ideas, how do we start planning?
Bucket List
We created a 2012 Family Summer Bucket List! Â Here’s what we did:
– Talk up the Exciting Plans of the Summer: For the past few months, we have had some fun dinnertime conversations about our summer. Â I set the expectation early that we were not going to plan a bunch of week-long camps, so there was not any disappointment when some of their friends mentioned the camps they would be going to. Â Instead, we did some preliminary dreaming of what the “best summer” would look like. Â I have asked them for weeks to start thinking about things they have heard about or seen that they wanted to try.
– Call a Family Meeting: We designated an evening in May that we planned to discuss our summer plans and asked everyone (including Dear Ole’Dad) to come to the meeting with at least 5 ideas of things they wanted to do this summer. Â I was prepared, having searched the internet for local fun ideas and running through Pinterest for creative at home crafts and projects. Â Who wouldn’t love creating your own “Car Wash” out of plastic tubing or sleeping out under the stars in your backyard?
– Brainstorm: During our meeting, we brought our ideas to the table. I asked my family to think of anything they wanted to try, to be creative, and not hold back. Â Yes, we had the occasional, “I want to sky-dive” (from my 9 year old) and “I want to go to Disney World” (the same 9 year old), but I had told them to throw every idea out there. Â This is such a fun conversation to have, as you get to hear your child’s likes & dreams. Â I ended up taking lots of notes for the future!!
– Narrow down your list: After Brainstorming, we came up with a list of things we all (for the most part) agreed upon. I decided not to put a limit to this list, as I didn’t want to squash their enthusiasm and I didn’t want our list completed by the 3rd week of June.
– Pull out your Calendar: This was my favorite part, as you start to see the plans for your summer unfold. Â We opened up a big calendar and lined up the months of June, July & August. Â Once we plugged in the dates of things that were already on the books (A beach vacation in June and VBS in July), we started adding various activities to the calendar, attempting for at least one to two fun outings a week. I didn’t want to plan everything though, as I still wanted the element of spontaneity of a summer day. Â So where we might go to the local water park on a Tuesday, we made sure to keep the rest of the week open for other low-key fun (making homemade ice cream, creating abubble maker, pjs & game day, etc.).
– Create a fun way to Display you Bucket List: I have seen so many creative and fun ways to display a “summer fun activities list”. Â From tear-off chain links, to slips of paper in an actual bucket, I encourage you to get your craft on and really have fun with this. I, being the not-so-crafty-momma, made a cute list. Â My kids are pretty used to working off of lists, as I am a list making lady! Â It works for us.
-Have a Fun Summer! Have fun with this list, allow yourself to add or take off things of you happen to change your mind, and don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t get done this summer. Â It can always make a fun weekend activity in the Fall or can be at the top of your list for next summer!
Make it the best summer yet!!
More Kids Activities
Get some fun summer ideas here on Quirky Momma!
We just bought our poster board over the weekend to list our summer bucket list!
Our list is VERY long…..and only 77 days of vacation.
That’s awesome Connie! Hope to see what is on that list!
Oh I need to do this and I need to hurry- our last day of school is tomorrow!!
What?? Seriously? WOW!! Get on it!
My daughter would love creating a poster like that! What worked for us in the past was to put slips of paper into a “Boredom Busters” jar. If either of my kids dared to utter, “I’m bored,” they has to pull out a slip and do what was listed. There was a lot of book reading that summer, heh heh!!
Traci – I love the idea of a Boredom Busters jar!! But I know you and your kids probably NEVER get bored!!!
I want to go to Destin, FL! Fun!!
Yes it is!!!
We have a Spring/Summer Bucket list and have already marked off a few items. So much fun watching it unfold 🙂
You are on the ball! Awesome!
What great inspiration to keep away the summer boredom blues!
Thanks!
We’ve got our list done, now we just need to make a poster! We do this every year and it is so much fun – plus then you never run out of things to do!
Yes! Plus my kids love to see what the summer holds for them!
We have a bucket list! Whoo!Hoo Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too much living and not enough time I tell ya!
I agree! Have a fun summer!
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A great idea! I love anything that gets the whole family involved and this would also take the stress out of the “what to do today?” that parents often feel over the school holidays. 🙂
A little preparation in advance takes that away!
Dear Rebecca,
Your list makes me smile! It’s hard to believe that summer is so close.
The KEEN Recess Team is inspired by people like you who stay active all year round. On our recess page [recess.keenfootwear.com] you can add your favorite destinations and photos to the map. Whether you’re roasting marshmellows, jumping in puddles or finding the perfect hike, we’d love to know. Thanks for your input and expertise!
KEEN Recess Team
Super fun idea! What a great way to beat the drone of everyday at home with nothing to do ¦again! 🙂
The only things on my bucket list are to buy everything on the menu at McDonald and too poop in every gas station in Chicksha OK. Wher the pot smell nice